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History · Pumpkin Center

The history of Pumpkin Center

Below: maps from 1932 on.

0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Pumpkin Center’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Pumpkin Center are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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Start Pumpkin Center’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Pumpkin Center’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Pumpkin Center, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Pumpkin Center yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Pumpkin Center is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kern County, California. It is located 7.5 miles (12.1 km) south-southwest of downtown Bakersfield, at an elevation of 351 feet (107 m). As of the 2020 census, Pumpkin Center had a population of 421. Pumpkin Center is located at the intersection of State Route 99 (SR 99) and SR 119 (Taft Highway). On both Interstate 5 and SR 99, there is signage at the SR 119 exit directing travelers to Pumpkin Center. "The White House" historical landmark was established in 1925. The landmark has four original trees that have grown taller than the buildings. A post office opened in Pumpkin Center in 1945.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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On the map

Pumpkin Center on the map, 1932 to 1973

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Pumpkin Center. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Pumpkin Center on the 1932 USGS mapPumpkin Center on the 1942 USGS mapPumpkin Center on the 1950 USGS mapPumpkin Center on the 1968 USGS mapPumpkin Center on the 1973 USGS map1932Gosford sheet · 1:31,680

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Pumpkin Center.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Bakersfield6 historic placesC+

Questions about Pumpkin Center’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.